Hugo Chávez’s Social Thought

Abstract

The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, who died on March 5, 2013, has left a legacy of
his own political thought. Its realisation has changed extensively the shape of Venezuelan society.
All social changes under Chávez’s rule were conducted in the spirit of socialism in the President of
Venezuela’s own interpretation. The whole activity of central government was compellingly justified
ideologically and therefore it provides a perfect research material on the impact of particular
political doctrine on life of individual citizens.
Research shows that there are both positive and negative aspects of implementation of social
policy in the spirit of Chavismo. On the one hand, as a result of the changes that were made, life of
the poor has become easier. On the other hand, Venezuela in 2014 is in deep recession: inflation is
raging and citizens have great difficulty in finding basic goods in stores.